It was new puppy day here yesterday, just like at the White House! He is called Petey and just like the First Puppy, Bo, he came from a very bad "Red State." He's safe with us now in blue sky Maine. I've already taught him how to sit, what "snacks" means, where to 'go' outside, and, most importantly, where to snooze. Later, when he's bigger and can read, I will share my political philosophies and reading list.

Mommy and Daddy brought Petey home yesterday. They didn't let me go with them to pick him up, but that was ok, I got to sleep in. I'm pretty fond of little Petey. It's my job to teach him how to be a good dog and so far, I'm doing a really good job! It's a little bit tiring. I think Petey has the right idea, he is sound asleep. I believe I too will take a Sunday evening nap.

The new puppy has arrived at the White House. Phew, it's about time! I don't know how anybody expects to run a country without canine consultation. It seems that a new puppy is imminent at this house too. We are expecting Petey to arrive on Saturday. Mommy, who often consults with me about major decisions, took me to the dog store to pick out a bed and a collar for him. I ignored her as she asked if I preferred the blue or brown collar or the blue or red mat. Instead, I sniffed the treats and the cat who lives at the dog store. Then I charmed the dog-store lady into giving me 3 treats! Later, I decided to pull the new bed and collar off the chair where Mommy put them. I chewed up some tissues too and scattered them about the living room and bedroom. I guess now everybody knows how I feel about getting a new puppy. Hrumph. I think I will try to use all the beds in the house at once. They are all mine for snoozing!

We went on a trip to see my Grandpeople in NJ. I got to go for long walks with Poppy and my Grammie gave me chicken! Yum. We rode in the car the long way and I snoozed a lot. When we finally got there, I wasn't tired anymore, so I stayed awake. I listened for critters and visited everyone in their beds. Sometimes, people don't like to be visited when they are in their beds. I don't necessarily enjoy being visited or moved when I sleep either.

When we got home where it is still false Spring, Mommy started talking to me about a dog who might come to live with us in a few weeks. I don't really understand what she is talking about, so I just ignore her. I don't expect that a new dog will come live with us.

Yesterday, Cupcake snuck into the yard and crouched down under the hemlock tree. I think she was waiting for the red squirrel. Mommy is now best friends with Cupcake because Cupcake is her solution to the mouse problem. I try to tell Mommy that as a Schnauzer, I am perfectly capable of taking care of the mouse situation. Unfortunately, sometimes the mice are a little bit frightening to me and I'd rather bark at them from afar. Yawn. Mice are boring. I think I will read a little bit of the Sunday Times and then take a short snooze.

False Spring continues although today is the Vernal Equinox. Tomorrow, the day will be longer than the night. This is good news for people like Mommy who are trying to grow plants. Plants need a lot of sunshine. I like sunshine too, but today even though there is a lot of sunshine out, it is cold. The plants and I get our sunshine through the window.

This week was quite exciting! Over the weekend I met a new dog friend. Mommy and Daddy took me with them when they went to the mountains for skiing and that is where I met Topinga. We had much fun walking and sniffing for deer in the woods together. Deer are everywhere. They don't care that it is still false spring.

I also went to grooming this week and now I look handsome. Well, I think I will push this plant out of my sunny spot and take a little snooze before I look for Cupcake and the henchcats who tend to sleep late on Fridays.

Saturday was the start of false-spring. It was the kind of March day that is so warm the bees come out of the hive, the flower bulbs peek out above the mud, people go around on bicycles and all the dogs go to the beach! Yay! We all thought the spring had come to stay.

On Sunday the fine weather continued and we to the beach again. I ran around with my dog-friends and sniffed a lot of stinks. It was so much fun, I was ready to do it all again the next day!

On Monday, it snowed all day. Winter. I was so mad, I refused to get out of bed. I slept until noon. When I got up, I spilled out my dog-food. I'm sick and tired of dry dog food. Then I ripped up some tissues from the tissue box next to Mommy's bed. Then I went on the couch. Finally, I pulled the socks out of Daddy's gym bag. Oh, and I barked at the snow too.

Saturday was a "bad-dog" day. It stared out as any ordinary Saturday with Daddy getting up early to play WOW and Mommy and I snoozing late and reading the news. Later, however things got weird. Mommy thinks there was something cosmic that made all the dogs behave badly, but I don't know. It's hard to tell. There are so many sounds in the atmosphere that I can hear and Mommy can't. Humans have inferior aural faculties.

Anyway, it was warmish on Saturday so I went outside. Most of the snow was gone revealing a wonderfully stinky mud! I rolled around a little in the stinkiness. The second time I went out, I found a BIG BAG OF GARBAGE on the back steps. Ohhh! Yum! Things took a turn for the worse when Mommy opened the back door: There I stood over scattered shreds of plastic and spilled coffee grinds. I was guilty and in trouble. Since I didn't have to go inside right away, (Mommy said something about being "a dirty garbage dog" and "staying outside for the rest of the afternoon") I decided to roll around in the stinky grass a little more.

Later, I got the wettest, soapiest bath of my life. Now there is so much clean on me it will take weaks to wear off!

But that's not all! In order for it to be a "bad dog day," other dogs have to behave badly too. Mommy and I, in my squeaky-clean state, were reading in the bedroom when we saw two big tails swish in the window. Two wolfish Malamutes trotted though the yard and into the woods. I barked to them to mind the invisible fence. Mommy rushed outside to catch them--in her socks. Then the worst happened: Larry the dog catcher showed up in his dog-catching truck! Mommy says that Larry is not a dog-catcher, but I know a dog-catcher when I sniff one. Mommy talked to him and to the wandering Malamutes' human. I barked. I don't know if those dogs got caught or just wandered home again. I hope they had a most excellent adventure.

On Saturday night, I learned that my friends the Beagles landed themselves in the Doggie ER for eating chocolate. They're OK now. I know what it is like to eat too much chocolate and end up in the ER. Oh the horror! The horror!

Well, we are having another snow storm tonight. I am curling up on my fuzzy blanket and sleeping until spring...

Well, it's been quite a week. I was abandoned for a few days. Mommy likes to say that I went on vacation. Huh. What kind of vacation is it when your family goes off to some ski resort and leaves you behind? Sounds to me like a vacation for THEM, but not for the dog. Needless to say, I barked until I became hoarse. I did meet some interesting new dog friends whose families had abandoned them too. We bonded, but we couldn't discuss much because we were all more or less hoarse.

It finally got nice enough on Tuesday for Mommy and me to walk to the beach. We actually went on the beach, but I'm still not allowed off the leash. "You run away," said Mommy. I just huffed at her. I wouldn't run away, I just like to sniff things. Now that most of the hateful snow is gone, there are a lot of interesting smells. Unfortunately, after the beach walk, I had a bath.

There are foxes in the yard! We saw them on Tuesday. I sniffed for them yesterday and I found that they wander around the shed. I think that is because there are mice and chipmunks in the shed. The foxes and I are like-minded: rid the yard of rodents.

Today the weather is ugly. Rain and fog and coldness. Mommy said that it was supposed to snow, but it's not snowing. A good day to curl up with an interesting book: Mommy and I are reading "The Chateau." It is not written very well, and is kind of silly, but we like it nonetheless. Yawn. I think I'll take a mid-morning nap.

Yesterday was a very exciting day in our house. Mommy was stuck to the computer all day watching the Washington D.C. celebrations. She didn't even ski. We listened to the new president's speech three times! Then we looked up important references to Langston Hughes and Abraham Lincoln in books. I mentioned to Mommy that President Obama did not say anything about wolves or polar bears in his speech, but she said that he mentioned protecting the earth which includes all animals. I suppose that means cats too. I just learned yesterday that the Maine Coon Cat is the state animal of Maine! A cat is our state animal? No wonder Cupcake and her henchcats strut around like they own the place. I'm going to petition the Legislature to change that silly state animal to something more accurate--say the abominable snow monster!

I haven't been feeling so well these past few days. It is due to the overabundance of snow. Mommy thinks I accidentally ingested some rock salt from my paws. She is purchasing boots for me. I don't know how I'm going to walk with boots on my paws. That's ridiculous. The next thing you know, I'll have skis.

So it was my birthday yesterday. Mommy wasn't feeling so well and it was cold outside. We just stayed in bed most of the day. It was wonderful to get so much sleep! The day before was exhausting because we went to a party with the Beagles Briscoe and Faren and the German Shepherd Logan. I think it was my birthday party, but it was also a New Year's Eve party. Lots of people friends were there too. Everyone wanted me to sit with them because I was the birthday dog, but I acted like I only wanted to sit with Mommy. This was actually true and I stayed right by Mommy as much as possible. People are weird when they drink that wine stuff. I don't even like it, so I don't know why they do. Mommy said yesterday that she doesn't like it anymore.

Today it is very cold. I can't decide if I want to curl up on the couch that I'm not supposed to go on or look for a sunny spot. I think I'll just go back to bed for a while.